Trying to gain weight sucks
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kaykay6676 wrote: »And I just feel like there more answers then just "eat more". It just seems rude to me because of the names I've been called and the things people have said to me because I'm small. People can be really mean. So, I'm sorry. I didn't know. It's just it could be other things to couldn't it? What about stress, birth control, depression, etc..?
No one here has called you names. We've simply given you the answer to your problem. Which literally is eat more calories. I'm sorry people in your life call you names - perhaps consider though, that they are concerned about you, and how you perceive yourself is different to reality.
There can be reasons why your body would require more calories, but the answer is still eat more. Hence why we've recommended persisting with the Dr if you are in fact eating excessive calories consistently without weight gain.
stress and depression can effect people differently - perhaps it makes you lose your appetite. Those things make me want to eat more.
From what I know, birth control makes people put on weight.4 -
Should I be tracking calories on things I drink as well? Or just things I eat?0
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kaykay6676 wrote: »Should I be tracking calories on things I drink as well? Or just things I eat?
Everything.2 -
I was told that my birth control could be doing the opposite? So I recently got off of it. I was in the depo and I was told that it could really mess up my body to the point that I can't have children. When I was on was always depressed and just not myself. But idk if it has anything to do with my weight. But I'm definitely going to try an eat more now.0
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I feel your pain! It's hard for me to keep weight on!1
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log your drinks if they have calories. Water And most plain teas/ coffee don't have Any, but sweetners And creamers do.2
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It could be more than just "eat more", but you have to rule that issue out first. No reason to go to the doctor if you don't have to. It's not fun anymore since they stopped giving out suckers and Garfield bandaids.
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Are you also logging your exercise calories and eating them back ? That was a biggie for me. And ,to be honest,I found I had to let go of notions about "healthy "and just eat calorie dense foods (many of which are perfectly healthy- eg,oils,nuts and their butters)
I know how you feel - it is frustrating when people say "eat more". (I've had to listen to that all my life!) But really I think you need to log everything so that if you're still not gaining after a month you have evidence to show your doctor. Good luck!7 -
I can't believe I'm up this late and taking the time to do this, but you might find this helpful (thanks to @diannethegeek ):
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods
Also noticed up-thread you mentioned finding some "healthy foods with good calories". That seems to indicate that you may be hung up on the idea of only eating "healthy" or "clean". If you are eating a balanced, nutritious diet, there's no reason you can't be eating other more calorific things that you may personally consider "junk". Honestly, being severely underweight is a bigger threat to your health than having a candy bar.
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I can't believe I'm up this late and taking the time to do this, but you might find this helpful (thanks to @diannethegeek ):
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods
Also noticed up-thread you mentioned finding some "healthy foods with good calories". That seems to indicate that you may be hung up on the idea of only eating "healthy" or "clean". If you are eating a balanced, nutritious diet, there's no reason you can't be eating other more calorific things that you may personally consider "junk". Honestly, being severely underweight is a bigger threat to your health than having a candy bar.
^ Yep. I mentioned the "clean eating" thing upthread, but OP never addressed it one way or the other. As I said before, grab a jar of peanut butter and a spoon. 190 calories in every two tablespoons, you can pack some calories down very quickly! I also mentioned ice cream - a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream is over 1100 calories, and that's not a lot of food at all.
If you're not gaining weight, you're not eating enough. Period. You may feel like you're eating enough, but you're not. Add some of the calorie-dense foods from that list try2again linked to, get yourself up to 3000 calories a day and you will start gaining weight. At 4'11" and 87 pounds, if you're not gaining weight on 3000 calories per day you have some very serious medical issues - we're talking issues not previously even known to man.6 -
eat more.3
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Have you considered weight gain supplementation?2
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kaykay6676 wrote: »Im saying you telling me to eat more is rude. I thought it was but I'm over that now. I told you that you could be right. And so I'm going to keep track tmw and figure it out. But what Im saying is the way ninerbuff is talking to me is rude. At least sounding rude. And if you're not trying to be rude then I apologize. But it really just seems like it to me.
You're likely reading my responses with an "angry voice" and perceiving them as rude. Read them in a "monotone voice". Like utterly boring voice. If I don't know you, then you surely don't know me and if you did, I'm far from rude. With the amount of posts of I have, if they were nothing but rude, I would have been ejected off a long time ago.kaykay6676 wrote: »Im saying you telling me to eat more is rude. I thought it was but I'm over that now. I told you that you could be right. And so I'm going to keep track tmw and figure it out. But what Im saying is the way ninerbuff is talking to me is rude. At least sounding rude. And if you're not trying to be rude then I apologize. But it really just seems like it to me.
As I mentioned, when you turn 30, you'll look back when you were 19 and chuckle. We've all done it.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
With respect OP, people have been taking their time to offer you genuine help, and you laughed in their face. That is far ruder than anything else anyone has said on this thread. This gentleman has expressed frustration with your attitude that I share.
Constructive suggestions for fixing your weight gain issues:
1. Log everything you eat or drink and find out if you are eating enough calories. For accuracy, weigh non-liquids in grammes, measure liquids in mls not cups (checkout logging accuracy threads for discussion of why this is best). Reason: Studies have shown that people are terrible at judging their own calorie intake. Satiation is not necessarily related to calories, eg I feel super satisfied after a 200 calorie ckicken breast but a 200 calorie chocolate bar is only psychologically satisfying but leaves me still hungry. People who put on too much weight usually underestimate calories, people who lose weight or can't gain but feel full are eating high satiety lower calorie foods and don't realise it. If the doc is right then you fall in this category.
2. Don't be afraid of fatty foods. Science says dietary fat has little to do with collesterol and dats are highly calorie dense without giving you the sugar spikes that sweet foods give. Nuts and avocado are examples of food considered "healthy" that have "good fats", are nutrient dense, and are calorie dense.
3. Add olive oil to your food. It's high calorie, but generally considered "healthy in moderation". Use it in french dressings for your salads, fry your veggies with garlic and olive oil. Easy way to sneak in calories and make your food tastier.
4. Log exercise accurately. For the same reason that you log food accurately, studies show thinner people underestimate their activity levels.
5. Eat cake. Om nom nom and high calorie.
6. I lose weight on 2200 calories. Might not be enough
7. Don't stress about weight gain until you can buy groceries. Get your car fixed
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kaykay6676 wrote: »I am trying. But I don't really have a way to get good groceries right now without a car so I kinda just have to live off what's a around me in the middle of nowhere until I get my vehicle fixed. it's rough. But I am trying. So because of you guys telling me that I should really just try eating more im take you all up on that and I'm gonna look some stuff up and find healthy food with good calories and see what I can find around me. Because I want to gain weight and I want to be happy with myself so I'm willing to do whatever it takes.
Read this thread. It provides tips on foods and strategy. But keep in mind, healthy is very relative and it's far more unhealthy to be underweight, than eating things like ice cream and other high calorie items. Increase fat consumption, drink calories (like milk), and don't stuck on the idea of foods being good or bad. A healthy diet is made up of the entire thing.. not one item or another.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10326769/are-you-a-hard-gainer-please-read/p1
Also, are you exercising?4 -
I agree. For some people gaining weight is difficult especially if you aren't used to eating a lot.
For me it is especially difficult because I am breastfeeding.. so adding 300-500 cals (or maybe more I don't even know) on top of an already high TDEE and it becomes very frustrating (3500cals+ per day )
BUT.. just because it isn't easy doesn't mean it's impossible.. definitely start tracking and measuring your food, check out that link that @psuLemon posted above which is super helpful, think about drinking your cals: adding in a homemade high cal shake, and on top of everything..be consistent! It is so important not to have a high day and think "OK great I did well, 3000 cals down I did it" then the next day go back to 1500 or something and spin your wheels. Also ya if you are still struggling despite all the changes a more throughout Dr checkup may be in order.
Good luck!4 -
kaykay6676 wrote: »That what I was thinking. I think as a doctor she should've looked into to it a lot more
Don't count on doctors solely. I lost weight like that and wasn't considered overweight and all Dr said was good job. Turns out I had cancer and I wouldn't be here today if I didn't seek other opinions.6 -
I hear you. MFP is awesome for losing weight. I've lost two pounds in the last month and I've been trying to gain. I'm thinking that I might be doing the opposite of some people on here by underestimating my cals burned and overestimating my intake.2
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OP Do you realize you have to eat at a calorie surplus to build muscle? Otherwise all the working out you've posted about is counter productive to your weight gain goal.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10544972/workout#latest
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10544979/exhausted-no-breaks#latest4 -
It should be pointed out, that if you are working out like crazy, you should probably go to a more efficient program and/or reduce the amount of working out, as it's going to make it harder to get enough calories.6
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I hear you. MFP is awesome for losing weight. I've lost two pounds in the last month and I've been trying to gain. I'm thinking that I might be doing the opposite of some people on here by underestimating my cals burned and overestimating my intake.
MFP is awesome for losing weight if you use it properly. MFP is awesome for gaining weight if you use it properly. It's a tool - the people overestimating cals out and underestimating cals in won't be achieving the results they want either!3 -
OP Do you realize you have to eat at a calorie surplus to build muscle? Otherwise all the working out you've posted about is counter productive to your weight gain goal.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10544972/workout#latest
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10544979/exhausted-no-breaks#latest
^^This. Your weight loss issue appears to also be tied in to the fact that you may be over-exercising. Building muscle generally only occurs in a calorie surplus. If you are undereating for the amount of exercise you are doing, your body will actually utilize muscle for energy, in effect doing the opposite of what you are hoping to achieve.3 -
livingleanlivingclean wrote: »I hear you. MFP is awesome for losing weight. I've lost two pounds in the last month and I've been trying to gain. I'm thinking that I might be doing the opposite of some people on here by underestimating my cals burned and overestimating my intake.
MFP is awesome for losing weight if you use it properly. MFP is awesome for gaining weight if you use it properly. It's a tool - the people overestimating cals out and underestimating cals in won't be achieving the results they want either!
Acknowledged 0 -
The only way I can keep gains on is to gain it in muscle and work really slow. If I get sick and lose 10# (which happened last month) I have to be extra diligent in getting it back. I'm still not back to where I was and I'm very on top of my foods.
I've found that my biggest roadblock has been getting enough proteins and carbs to maintain muscle and keep the weight up. I like fiber and eating light so I feel like I'm eating nuts every 2 hours. Also, I KNOW I move more than MFP gives me credit for (more than 350 calories just walking around) because now that I track just a couple of hours at work with my Apple Watch, I'm at 100 calories used. Extending that through 10 hours a day at work on my feet I can see that I need to consume even more-especially if I include muscle training.
I've set my gains to 1/2 # a week and I don't even hit it. I eat 2500 calories most days to hit my goals but some days I know it's not enough. And as usual, carbs aren't where they should be for me either. Blegh!! The struggle!
Now, I definitely don't fluctuate nearly as much as you, but losses are very discouraging anyways. I'd make a few adjustments to your tracking and just keep at it. Add me if you want a "small person supporter"1 -
kaykay6676 wrote: »Oh. My. God. Obviously I eat. Lmfao. I eat all the time. It's not like I just magically stopped eating a lost weight. Im honestly so sick of hearing that. All I hear is eat more, you look anorexic, etc.. i wouldn't be hear if it wasn't an actual problem. Lol.
Maybe you're not eating enough calories. To decrease food volume, choose higher calorie foods over low fat/diet/lean. Nuts, avocados, full fat dairy, fatty cuts of meat. This way, you'll be able to eat enough calories to gain and eat smaller volume.
To gain weight, eat more calories than your maintenance. If you're losing, you just need to up the calories of the food you're eating. Think fats and fattier protien.4 -
To the OP, you said "ok I'll start tracking" which to me implies that you haven't been tracking prior. Then you said you're trying to eat 2200 calories. I can't see how you would know if you were meeting that target if you weren't tracking.
Everyone here is telling you to eat more, but really the first thing you need to do is the tracking, accurate tracking with weight based measurements and logging exercise. Spend a few weeks and figure out what you need to maintain. Then go from there. "Eating more" really doesn't help unless you know how much more to eat.6 -
kaykay6676 wrote: »I am trying. But I don't really have a way to get good groceries right now without a car so I kinda just have to live off what's a around me in the middle of nowhere until I get my vehicle fixed. it's rough. But I am trying. So because of you guys telling me that I should really just try eating more im take you all up on that and I'm gonna look some stuff up and find healthy food with good calories and see what I can find around me. Because I want to gain weight and I want to be happy with myself so I'm willing to do whatever it takes.
Need to gain weight? no car? pizza delivery.
Enjoy trying to gain weight. Pizza, chicken wings, sausage egg and cheese bicuits, bbq, ice cream, PB and banana sammiches, avocados, nuts, etc..I find it nearly impossible to gain weight on "good" or "clean" calories only. I get plenty of the "good" calories to fill my micros/macros during my bulks, but to hit those daily calorie goals junk food (i.e. calorie dense) gets in the mix. Quit filling up on broccoli.9 -
Peanut Butter, chocolate, ice cream... that is your answer.
Bonus points if eaten together...10 -
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